At the European gastroenterology conference in Vienna, researchers announced that they had detected microplastics in every stool sample from a small number of subjects worldwide. This research clearly shows the presence of microplastics that have infiltrated the world's oceans andmany organisms, including human beings.

There have been increasingly more reports in recent years on the problem of plastic pollution and it is always difficult to pay attention to it without feeling any pain.

Plastic particles were found in the feces of all eight of the subjects studied, according to the University of medicine in Vienna, Austria, and the Austrian federal environment agency. The eight volunteers, aged between 33 and 65, did not know each other and lived in separate areas. They come from completely different continents, living in Japan, Finland, Italy, Holland, Poland, Russia, Britain, and Austria.

A week later, tests on samples of feces from the eight participants showed that not only did the feces of these eight people contain plastic particles, but there were as many as nine types of plastic, with an average of about 20 microplastic particles per 10 grams of feces, including polypropylene (PP), polyethylene and PET, which are commonly used in our daily life.

Where does the plastic that is absorbed into the human body come from?

Microplastics refer to the plastic particles of less than 5 mm in size. In a marine environment, plastic products are exposed to solar radiation, chemical degradation, wave impact, and swallowed by sea animals. The large pieces of plastic gradually become smaller and separated into countless tiny pieces of plastic. Your drinking water may contain invisible plastic fibers.

In addition, a study of 150 tap water samples from 14 cities across five continents found that as much as 83% contained plastic particles. Plastic particles may also be in the salt you eat.

Researchers analyzed 15 types of common salt purchased in supermarkets across China and found that salt contained polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, cellophane and a variety of other plastics used in the production of common plastic water bottles. Researchers found that in Europe, a seafood eater could consume up to 11,000 pellets of plastic over the course of a year.

All in all, plastic particles come from every aspect of people's lives, including toothpaste, shower gel, facial cleanser, cosmetics At present, there are 1,147 kinds of washing and protecting products with microbeads in the world, and 330,000 plastic particles are contained in the ordinary bottle of frosted cleansing milk alone.

The report gives a striking number: it is estimated that plastic particles can be found in the bodies of about 50 percent of the world's population, but need to be studied more widely to be confirmed.

According to the United Nations environment programme, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic waste, or 80 percent of the waste, are dumped in the oceans every year, threatening the survival of marine wildlife.

The deepest Mariana trench in the world, with a maximum depth of 1,0911 meters, has long been considered the most mysterious piece of "pure land" on earth. But according to scientists' latest findings, the chemical ingredient PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, a serious carcinogen) has been found in organisms deep in the Mariana trench.

A scene from a previous documentary shocked many people: a whale, dragging its dead child, swam for a long time and refused to give up. And its children, most likely, were poisoned by its own contaminated milk.

Action!

From November 1, McDonald's will test a lid without straws in 10 restaurants in Beijing, and will no longer offer plastic straws.

It is well known that straws are made of plastic, and the slow recycling and low reuse of plastic waste has a negative impact on the world's ecological environment.

We hope that more and more restaurants and delivery services can handle this plastic problem effectively and in a timely manner.

It is high time for us to come together and vow collectively to do something about snowballing marine pollution as we owe the planet to our future generation. It is time to save our planet together.

For more interesting stories, Download the Lopscoop application from Google play store and earn extra money by sharing it on social media. Source - lessplastic.co.uk, GuideinChina